Happy Friday, Naperville. You know the drill – grab your coffee (or whatever you sip in the morning), kick back, and let Naperville Brief serve up everything you need to know for the weekend ahead.

📰 In the news

Local happenings: Naperville considers a quarter percent sales tax hike, greenlights a second Guzman Gomez dine in and drive thru, and warns about impersonator phone scams — catch up here.

State-level stories: Homebuilding in Illinois lags behind, sports-betting shakeups, and biotech companies rush to hire in Chicago — see what else is brewing.

National headlines: 24/7 social security access, dogs detect Parkinson’s, and a new method or reclaiming 98 percent of battery metals — peruse the best of the rest.

Highlights this week

• Brennan hosts all-day summer Baseball Tournament
• Practice English reading and conversation weekly
• Students share bold solutions at climate panel
• Join Naperville’s 28th annual Turkey Trot
• Bring food and toiletries to help neighbors
• iTustCapital offers $0/mo crypto IRA accounts

🫶 We got your back

Home: Nothing humbles you quite like an AC that quits mid-heat wave. Having a trustworthy HVAC pro on speed dial is worth its weight in gold. Not sure where to start? Browse our shortlist of the best HVAC companies around town.

Drink: Naperville is full of breweries that pour personality by the pint, from barrel-aged beauties that make you slow down and savor to crisp IPAs that high-five your taste buds on the way down. Find our favorites here.

Beauty: Ready to level up your self-care game beyond face masks, hope in a jar, and crossing your fingers? These top-rated med spas offer treatments backed by doctors that actually deliver on their promises.

Family: Looking for creative ways to keep the littles entertained that don’t involve a screen? Our guide covers some of the coolest summer outdoor toys and activities for on-the-go kiddos.

👀 Why just read it when you could be in it?

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📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirey outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

🍹 Mocktails and More @ The Morton Arboretum | Friday (7/18) at 5:00pm – Grab your judgmental eye and head over for a lineup of innovative nonalcoholic beers, craft mocktails, and botanical libations that actually spark conversation. Think happy hour without the fuzzy regrets, perfect for folks who’ve tried every bar stool in town.

🕯️ Sixteen Candles @ The Forge Lemont Quarries | Friday (7/18) at 6:30pm – Expect a full-on ’80s pop revival that’ll have you belting Madonna, Prince, and Duran Duran like you’re back in high school. It’s pure nostalgia, loaded with enough synth, shoulder pads, and questionable dance moves to convince your inner teen it’s cool on the dance floor.

This weekend

🏰 Rendezvous: Splendor of Versailles @ Cantigny | Saturday (7/19) at 7:30pm – So your houseplants could use a little palace drama? Cantigny’s gardens are going full Versailles with string music, aerialists, burlesque, live band, and roaming performers. It’s strictly 21 and up, so don your best gold, channel Marie Antoinette, and raise a toast to excess.

🔭 Free Public Stargazing | Saturday (7/19) at 8:30pm – Forget Netflix, grab a sweater and join your fellow locals on the back lawn, weather permitting, for free, public stargazing through professional observatory scopes and members’ telescopes. No cover charge, just cosmic views, gentle banter, and maybe a shooting star selfie.

🛍️ Market In The Park @ The Forge Lemont Quarries | Sunday (7/20) at 11:00am – Market In The Park is taking over the quarry with 80+ local makers hawking hand-thrown pottery, small-batch hot sauces, food trucks, cocktail stands. You can kayak, lob axes, or scale a rock wall, then collapse with ice cream, just remember sunscreen, snacks, and snark.

👗 International Designers Trunk Show @ The Matrix Club | Sunday (7/20) at 12:00pm – Skip the usual mall crawl and discover jaw-dropping South Asian fashion right here in town. Shop exclusive designer threads, soak up a splash of cultural flair, and pretend you’re runway-bound, all for free, no passport required.

🦅 One of These Nights – The Ultimate Eagles Tribute Band @ RiverEdge Park | Sunday (7/20) at 8:00pm – When a $5 ticket lets you relive every Eagles classic with a spot-on tribute band, who needs California dreaming? These guys nail every note, and Paramount Theatre’s comfy seats beat dust bowl renovations at RiverEdge anytime. See you there, road-weary locals?

Next week

🧠 Healing Without Drugs (Adults) @ Geneva Public Library | Monday (7/21) at 3 pm – Tired of the pill-popping hamster wheel? Dr. Kara Babinski is here to flip the script on healing, offering alternatives that don’t involve prescriptions or scalpels. It’s a one-hour wellness wake-up call that might just change how you think about pain relief.

📚 Garden Book Bricks @ Downers Grove Public Library | Tuesday (7/22) at 7:00pm – Swing by with your best brush for a laugh-and-paint session celebrating your favorite book on a garden brick. No green thumb required, unless you count sarcasm as a hobby, then tuck it amid your petunias for instant literary flair.

🎻 Sinfonietta DuPage Summer Concert @ Peace Church | Tuesday (7/22) at 7:30pm – Grab your spot on a pew at Peace Church in Lombard for a summer showdown of Haydn’s cello fireworks and Rosetti’s hunting horns, courtesy of guest cellist Jean Hatmaker. Expect lush melodies, free parking, and tickets sold only at the door.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 7/18 Sons of the Silent Age @ Wheaton Memorial Park – 6 pm
• 7/18 Sixteen Candles @ The Forge – 6:30 pm
• 7/19 Burning Red @ Wheaton Memorial Park – 6:30 pm
• 7/19 Pattyo and more @ Tivoli Bowl – 7 pm
• 7/19 Windy City Dueling Pianos @ Spartan Ale House – 8 pm
• 7/19 WhiskeyFist @ Saddle Up at Q – 9 pm
• 7/20 DuPage Symphony Orchestra @ Wheaton Memorial Park – 3 pm
• 7/20 Irish & Bluegrass Sundays @ BallyDoyle – 5 pm
• 7/20 Comedy Mixtape @ CG’s Comedy Club – 6 pm

Price is right – Naperville edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

*This 👇 could be your listing. Hit us up if you’ve got a home (or 12) to sell.

Listed by: Bridget Salela (Coldwell Banker Realty)

Half a block from East Highlands Park and the trail to downtown Naperville, this custom-built stunner packs in all the perks. Sunlight pours through Pella windows, highlighting a kitchen with a 48-inch Wolf cooktop, Sub-Zero fridge, full-size wine cooler, and dual dishwashers. The island even hides a lift-up shelf for your secret gadgets. Out back, a covered patio with two gas hookups makes grilling season a year-round sport.

Upstairs, a loft and a hidden kids’ play space keep things fun, while every bedroom boasts a walk-in closet. Two EV charging outlets in the garage, a flex room ready for a wine cellar, and pre-wired speakers round out the smart touches.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →